As Ghana's first professional skier, he aims to compete next February in the downhill race at the winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

Nkrumah-Acheampong, who loves to be referred to as the "snow leopard", was actually born in the Scottish city of Glasgow, but grew up in Ghana's capital, Accra, where the nearest most people get to snow is imagining "cold cotton wool".

"The first time I saw snow was on TV back home in Ghana," Nkrumah-Acheampong told the BBC's Fast Track programme.

"Watching skiing then, I loved the way the skiers turned, moved fast in a zigzag manner and I said to myself, 'Some day I'll ski!'"

Ridiculed

Nkrumah-Acheampong, who moved to the UK in 2000, only took up the sport two years ago when he got a job as a receptionist at a skiing centre in Milton Keynes.

"I began skiing at the indoor ski centre and took a few lessons as they were free for staff. But I quit my job when the love affair with skiing grew because I felt I had a good chance of making it professionally," he explained.

Even though he was ridiculed when he first took to the slopes, Nkrumah-Acheampong's passion and perseverance have taken him far.

"For me, skiing is a daily thing. It's like a car, the more you drive, the more you perfect the art of driving," he said.

"When I started, people poked fun at me and never took me seriously, but after competing in some events in France - where I performed well against people who had begun the sport in their childhood - respect for me grew.